Suzette and Chris Doucet relocated to Birmingham after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005 and startee Doucet Asset Management a year later.

in Birmingham, will be glued to the television set today watching Hurricane Isaac approach New Orleans and feeling a sense of deja vu.

The couple fled New Orleans with their two young children for Houston a day before Hurricane Katrina slammed into the city seven years ago today, leaving massive damage and death in its wake. A week after Katrina, the Doucets signed a contract on a home in Birmingham, and the family relocated here.

Suzette Doucet said when they turned on the TV Monday night and saw Isaac headed on the same path as Katrina, she felt a sense of dread.

"I would imagine it's the same feeling that someone would have getting back behind the wheel after a terrible accident," she said. "You can't quite explain it unless you lived it. Before the storm, there was always a certain connected-ness among New Orleans. Despite what the media reported in the aftermath, the bond is now even stronger."

In the days after Katrina as TV images showed the utter devastation in New Orleans, Mrs. Doucet said she and her husband, along with their 1- and 2-year-old children, sat at a hotel room in Houston with her brother and wife, his kids and their dog, all staring blankly at the television.

"It was a bit surreal," she said. "We had evacuated the day before with a small travel bag thinking we would be back home in two days, after the power came back on. When the eye passed, we knew there would be a lot of damage but thought we had escaped the worst. It was not until hours later that the news of the breached levees began to emerge."

Though Mother Nature gets the blame, Mrs. Doucet said it the design of the levees that ultimately caused the real destruction to the city.

"As a child growing up in New Orleans, I oftentimes heard grandparents' stories about Hurricanes Camille and Betsy and talked about what would happen when 'the big one hit.' We all had hurricane tracking maps and knew how to plot the coordinates. When we were kids, we thought everyone did that, like celebrating Mardi Gras. It was just a part of life."

The Doucets said they were among the lucky ones: they survived, and their home had minimal damage.

"As devastating and emotionally draining as it was, we had the wherewithal to be able to get out of New Orleans before the storm hit and land on our feet," Mrs. Doucet said. "There were many others that weren't so fortunate."

Chris Doucet said the hardest part, in the aftermath of the storm, was not knowing where their friends were or if they were OK.

"Cell service was impossible because of downed cell towers, so most of New Orleans spent several panicked days trying to track down friends and family and make sure they were safe," Doucet said. "I was trying to make sure clients were okay and employees and their families were safe and in stable environments."

Doucet, who began his career as an assistant bond trader on Wall Street before moving back to New Orleans to join an investment firm, and his wife in September 2006 set up Doucet Asset Management in Birmingham, a money management firm on Lakeshore Drive.

In a way, Katrina had a role in their business as the deadly hurricane inspired them to take the entrepreneurship plunge instead of continuing to work for others.

At the time, Chris Doucet was working with a company based in Birmingham, and his bosses suggested the couple stay in the city a few weeks until things settled down. A friend offered to let the couple use his Suburban until hunting season started, while another offered to let the family stay in her home for a while.

"When we arrived at the house, her mother had stocked the fridge with food and had little presents for our kids," Mrs. Doucet said. "It's the kind of thing you don't forget. People were so kind and giving. They came out of the woodwork offering to help. We were completely overwhelmed but with small children, we knew New Orleans might not be an option for months or even years. Considering our longer term options, we threw Birmingham into the mix. It was a vibrant community, with wonderful people and could be a great place to raise our family."

In the last seven years since Katrina, Doucet said, he has built life-long friendships and started a company in Birmingham that he had dreamed about for a dozen years.

"I doubt either would have happened had it not been for Katrina," he said. "As disastrous and painful as it was, some great things came out of it for our family."

In hindsight, Doucet said they and others can learn lessons from Hurricane Katrina.

"Life is short so make the most of it while you are here," he said. "A disaster like Katrina has the ability to have a long-term negative impact on your business, your family and your relationships."